The department provides the safe transportation of students to and from home. This includes Barrow and 7 villages across the North Slope ranging 89,000 square miles. Bus service for field trips and other school activities are also provided. The other function of transportation is Preventative Maintenance  for  all District owned light and heavy duty vehicles.

Pupil Transportation services are provided for ECE through 12th grade for students in Barrow, Point Hope, Nuiqsut, Anaktuvuk Pass, Atqusak, Point Lay, Wainwright, and Kaktovik. There are 19 buses district wide, 12 of these buses are located in Barrow. The average daily bus rider throughout the district is 1200 students per day.  All the routes operated in the District are considered hazardous by the State DOE. To be considered hazardous a route must meet certain criteria concerning safe walking conditions to and from school. All students who live within 1 1/2 miles of school in Alaska are supposed to walk to school. The lack of sidewalks and walkways, darkness, extreme weather conditions and the threat of polar bears are the factors considered in declaring our routes hazardous.

 
NSBSD has a fleet of light duty vehicles consisting of Explorers, Suburbans, pickup trucks, vans, bobcats, and loaders. Maintenance of  vehicles in barrow is the responsibility of the lead mechanic, vehicles in the villages are the responsibility of the Itinerant Mechanic. District employees are responsible for their own Preventative Maintenance on the vehicle that are assigned to them. The plant managers and mechanics when needed, fly out to the villages to help take care of the village vehicles when an  Itinerant Mechanic is not available.

Linda Janousek

Transportation Manager